Wait until next year

Last week I posted about my latest musical crush, Turf War, and they were kind enough to then link through to this old place from their Facebook page and get in touch with me directly, which was pretty awesome and unexpected. So, I figured I might as well plug another new band, not in the hope that they will get in touch too, but more to give me a warm ‘n’ fuzzy feeling for supporting new music, and indeed sharing it with you, dear reader.

Without much further ado, I bring you The Shakes, again via the ever-reliable destination for good music, Aquarium Drunkard. “You Ain’t Alone” is a pretty fine example of dramatic, bluesy soul, and more than a little like the grittier end of the Stax canon. There are certainly some Otis Redding-esque flourishes in there. Yet, they manage to avoid sounding like a soul pastiche, which is quite the achievement considering how many bands get that whole vintage sound thing plain wrong.

This track is the strongest one I’ve heard from The Shakes from a brief internet trawl, but I look forward to hearing more in the future. I hope you enjoy.